


You Were Nineteen

by glasscanonlyspill



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: Aubrey-centric, F/F, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-04 04:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/706607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glasscanonlyspill/pseuds/glasscanonlyspill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aubrey re-tells the story of how Beca and Chloe finally started dating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Were Nineteen

**Author's Note:**

> **Future fic**. AU insofar as Beca doesn’t join the Bellas. Based on/continued from my three flustered!Beca gif sets, which can be found [here](http://glasscanonlyspill.tumblr.com/tagged/flustered!Beca).
> 
> This is written in the first person present tense. I appreciate that not everyone is comfortable reading first person voice, but I hope that you'll at least give it a chance; it really gives this the sense of intimacy I am aiming for.

I’m nervous, despite my more than proficient public speaking abilities. No amount of high school debating prepares you for situations such as these. Combined with the fact that I never anticipated having to tell this story, I quietly prepare myself for the worst, taking a few deep breaths. _Begin_.

“When I first glanced at Beca, I knew that Chloe’s attention would be drawn to her too. I just knew. There was just something so unconventional about her piercings and tattoos, and her dark, brooding eyes, and, quite frankly, too much eyeliner: Chloe loves that stuff; the _alternative_. It had been a while since she’d pursued someone like Beca, and while I was tempted to try and steer Chloe away from her, I knew that it was futile. I’ve known Chloe long enough; I know her facial expressions by heart, but that day there was a look in her eyes that I didn’t recognise. With hindsight, I’d be tempted to say it was one of those “love at first sight” moments, but, I’m still not a hundred percent sure I believe in that sort of thing.”

 _Just get right into it, Aubrey_. You know why you’re here. You don’t need my pleasantries as way of explanation or introduction. _Just tell the important parts._

“I remember the conversation at the activities fair embarrassingly clearly, too. Chloe had spent the whole day telling me about how she was sick of fooling around with guys who, despite being attractive, were intellectually lacking. _I want a challenge_ , she said to me, _Someone who treats me like an equal, but still sweeps me off my feet and takes my breath away_. I scowled at her and told her that such a person doesn’t exist. I wasn’t particularly welcoming when Chloe finally spotted Beca, either.

 _“What about her?_ , she asked, gesturing towards Beca. I replied in my usual stoic fashion, with some line about her being “too alternative” for our a cappella group. Chloe told me to stop going on about the Bellas: _I mean for me_ , she said - with **such** conviction - _She’s so beautiful … there’s just something about her_. I couldn’t begin to understand how Chloe could be so sure about someone she’d barely even looked at, let alone spoken too. Chloe just told me to trust her.

“That was something I couldn’t do. I just wanted Chloe to be happy, and I couldn’t see it being with Beca, or with someone like her. I suppose though, that’s the rub, isn’t it? Just because I couldn’t see it, didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

“The determination in Chloe voice was admirable as she asked her out, but Beca was proving to be a tough nut to crack: she wasn’t exactly receptive to Chloe’s advances. It wasn’t a total trainwreck, but I don’t think I had ever encountered anyone who hadn’t jumped at the chance to go out with Chloe. It was just … weird. Everyone thinks Chloe is attractive; I couldn’t help but wonder if Beca was temporarily blind, or something.”

I am not expecting that line to elicit a laugh from my audience; undeterred, I push on.

“Beca gave Chloe an open ended brush-off, and with that, she was gone. Chloe had no idea what her name was, and didn’t get her number. I didn’t even get a potential Bella auditionee out of the whole debacle. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the issue; these sorts of things are never straightforward, and Chloe and Beca are no exception.”

\---

“It was several weeks before we spoke about Beca again. Chloe came back from the shower room one evening, and she didn’t even need to tell me what was wrong. It was ‘That Girl’, it had to have been. I wanted to be angry, and to tell Chloe to forget about Beca, that she wasn’t worth her time, but I didn’t have it in me to be so callous. Her eyes were red, puffy; tears were coming, and I did what every best friend does: I just held her. It was hard for me, seeing Chloe so upset, but I bit my tongue.

“I still don’t know the full details of what happened that day - my knowledge goes about as far as knowing it involves a David Guetta song; Chloe never offered up specifics, and I didn’t want to pry. Eventually, she told me that Beca turned her down. I wanted to ask what the big deal was - she was just a girl, right? Wrong. As we sat together, I began to realise that my assumptions from the activities fair were correct, maybe. Was it turning into one of those “love at first sight” things I deny the existence of? It had to be. Why else would Chloe be so caught up over one freshman girl?

“It took a lot of self control not to march across campus and give Beca a piece of my mind. Chloe begged me not to: _It doesn’t matter, Aubrey_ , she said, _I’ll get over it_. I knew that she didn’t mean that, though. Chloe was lying to me through her teeth.”

I take a short breath, glancing to Chloe, gauging her reaction. This is a personal story, and it’s not really even mine to tell, but it’s necessary if I’m to finish this how I’ve planned. She looks tense, like this is something they haven’t discussed in great detail, but she’s not angry. I flash her an apologetic smile.

“Chloe tried to explain to me why she was so upset. She echoed some of my earlier thoughts, acknowledging that Beca was just “some girl”, but the break in her voice revealed more than her words ever would. It was heartbreaking for me, seeing my best friend in a state like that. I’ve never experienced that, and even now, I still can’t really empathise.

“I slowly began to understand, objectively at least, what Chloe was feeling. She’d been completely knocked for six: someone just waltzed into her life and changed everything. Whether either of them were actually aware that was what happened, I don’t think we’ll ever know, but now, again with hindsight, it’s easy to see it for what it was. The paths of these two women crossed for a reason that day, and I began to prepare myself for the inevitable.”

\---

“Beca finally came to her senses, and, God, I am so glad she did. It took her long enough, though - I was on the edge of contemplating intervention. By that point, I had all but accepted what was going to happen. In my head, these two girls were inexplicably linked. I can’t really explain it: I just had a feeling. I only saw things from Chloe’s point of view, but she wasn’t herself in the first months of that semester.

“It was ridiculous, really. Here was me, rational, logical Aubrey Posen, and I was convinced that two people - who had barely had a substantial conversation - were going to end up together. But I could see it in Chloe’s face. I could tell when she was thinking about Beca, because there was a spark in her eyes, like the one I had noticed at the start of term. That had to mean something.

“Beca eventually crashed one of our rehearsals, sauntering in with her tail between her legs. I wanted to go at her like an attack dog, but Chloe gave me a warning glance: a verbal assault from me wasn’t required. This was going to be Beca’s last chance, we wordlessly agreed. I threw Beca my own over-protective glare. I was going for, _“If you hurt my best friend again, I will not hesitate to end you”_. I think I got my message across alright.”

Another burst of laughter. I don’t understand exactly why everyone is picking up humour in this story - I am just trying to be honest. I suppose shouldn’t complain, there’s nothing worse than a speech that is boring. _Press on, Aubrey_. At least I’m entertaining. _Breathe._

“I was impressed by her confession. It couldn’t have been easy to bare yourself like that, especially in front of a group of people you don’t know. Beca later told me that coming to rehearsal that day was one of the hardest things she’s done. Knowing Beca like I do now, that doesn’t surprise me. Putting yourself out there in any context is hard: the addition of attraction to another person just makes everything even more complicated.

“It’s the risk and the fear of rejection that puts us off, I think. We sometimes find ourselves wanting things, or wanting people, and it takes a certain type of person to be able to just “go for it” without agonising over what may or may not happy. Chloe and Beca are diametrically opposed on this. That’s what makes them work.

“In actuality, what Beca said was perfect, really perfect. _I’m not the sort of girl that gets asked out by someone as beautiful as you_ , she said. I mean, isn’t it every girls’ dream to have someone say something like that to them? It was like being witness to the climactic final scene in a movie - sorry, Beca, you’ll hate this analogy - where the jilted love interests finally cross paths having spent the better part of forty minutes in an angst-ridden stupor.”

I even allow myself a small chuckle at this point. I link my fingers together, and crack them at the knuckles, thankful for the relief the action provides me.

\---

"I suppose this is the part where I say, “And the rest was history”. I’ll spare you another awful cliché, though. What I've just told you is by no means the whole story, it's only the very beginning. I could go on and tell countless tales about what happened over the rest of our senior year, heart-warming and embarrassing in equal measure, but I am conscious that I've already drawn this out for too long.

"I guess the point I wanted to make is that in the beginning I didn't like Beca - at all. I hated her attitude, and thought Chloe was making a big mistake in pursuing her. Things didn’t pan out how I initially expected them to, obviously, or I wouldn't be here telling this story, would I? Now, I suppose, it's at this point that I need to direct this monologue to you, Beca."

I pause, and look down at the two of them. Beca and I share a small smile; she knows I am sincere. The look in her eyes tells me _“You don’t have to do this, Aubrey”_ , but there are too many things I need to say, and I plough on regardless.

"Beca, firstly I'd like to apologise for my behaviour. I know it was a long time ago, but I didn't make it easy for you in the beginning. For that I am truly sorry. I’ll be honest though, if you’d have told me at that activities fair, that you two would start dating, and that seven years later I’d be stood here, making a speech at your wedding, I’d have laughed. I mean, if nothing else, you were nineteen, a freshman, and we were trying not to think about what was going to happen after graduation, after Barden. It didn't make sense to me.

“It didn’t take me long to realise just how suited you are to Chloe, though, and gradually, you became as important to me as Chloe has been over the years. The two of you are my best friends, and I don’t know what I’d do without you both. You’ve been there for me throughout my own heartbreak, when I lost my job, and when I had to move across the country, not just as Chloe’s partner, but in your own right, and I am so grateful for that, Beca. I mean, you even flew out to Seattle on your own when I needed someone and Chloe couldn’t get time off - you’re a wonderful friend. I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell you all of this. Chloe knows how much I love her, but I’ve never expressed this to you, so …”

I clear my throat, approaching the end. I feel myself tearing up a little, and I hope I can finish without breaking down. I’m not expecting this to be so emotional.

“The odds were against you both at times, but I am so happy I am here today, doing this. Beca, Chloe - you two are perfect together, and I’m glad you found one another. I am truly honoured to be a part of this day, and I hope that everyone else here will join me in wishing you a lifetime of happiness.”

Everything after that is a bit of a blur. People stand and cheer, clap and cry; it’s all too loud, and I can’t quite tell what’s going on. Beca and Chloe wrap their arms around me, and the three of us stand there, in a quiet, happy embrace. My desire for a relationship like theirs subsides for a moment, and I look down at the newly-weds, content to just bask in their bliss.

It’s Beca who speaks first, to my surprise. “Aubrey, thank you. That was perfect.” The three of us exchange glances, our eye contact calm and stable. I nod, and Chloe agrees, echoing Beca’s sentiment.

I whisper the last line of my speech; I intended it for their ears only. “I’m really glad I was able to witness this. You two were fated to each other, and …” My voice cracks, and they pull me in tighter. “I’m just so happy for you both.” I eventually choke it out. There’s nothing more I can say. They are happy, and they are perfect, and I’m too in awe to be jealous.

Maybe there’s hope for me. Maybe one day, my antithesis will swan into my life and change it all.

Maybe.


End file.
